Spiffy:

Iffy:

We've just spent the last three hours or so entrenched in some pretty hectic World War II airborne deathmatching at EA's Los Angeles studio. Medal of Honor: Airborne appears to be very complete, as the 360 and PC builds of the game that we played didn't exhibit any signs typical to works in progress. A handful of gaming press folks took up arms as the Axis and Allied forces, facing off against each in teams of six. The results were impressive enough, but is there room in the market for yet another WWII-based first-person shooter? Maybe so....

This latest entry into EA's esteemed franchise is no slouch in terms of added gameplay, visual appearance and aural capabilities. The overriding premise of the game is that this time you're taking on the role of either the ground-based Axis forces or the highly-skilled Allied airborne troopers. This is the first time we've been privy to the game's multiplayer action, so it was interesting to see how the new parachute mechanics really affect the flow of battle in classic deathmatch scenarios.

While the PC build had the edge over the 360 version in terms of frame rate and control sensitivity, everything else appeared to be pretty much equal. As a soldier, you'll have access to an array of WWII weaponry including grenades, pistols, submachine guns, rifles and even the dreaded Panzershreck rocket launcher. Basic movement, aiming and ducking are performed as in the previous games, but there are a few new moves at your disposal, too.

You are now able to sprint rapidly, which allows you to move from cover to cover in a much more effective manner. If you're playing as the airborne Allied troops, then, of course, you're able to parachute your way down from the skies onto the battlefield. In fact, you're able to land pretty much anywhere you want on the map thanks to the excellent steering mechanics. As an added bonus, and for those with skill, you can even get an insta-kill on a poor, unsuspecting enemy by landing on top of them and booting them in the face with your heavy-duty army footware.

This wide-open approach allows you to coordinate some well-planned landings on the battlefield, but it also adds a new sense of danger to the traditional FPS deathmatch game. You're going to have to be able to defend yourself from a 360-degree area around you, as the game will not be spawning and respawning your character at set points. This gives the multiplayer a new angle and requires some thought as to where you want to drop into the action. At first, this can seem a little overwhelming, but in time, you'll learn to 'chute into tactically sound positions such as rooftops where an extra weapon or some ammo might be found.

MoH:A also changes things up in that players can now fight against each other in a vertical scenario instead of just a ground-based affair. Climbing up ladders and such allows you access to a whole network of building tops, church steeples and other vantage points where both sides can now go at each other. It's commonplace to be slugging it out on the ground level and to have other crazy fire-fights occurring a good 20 feet in the air. This gives the players more flexibility in the environments and better allows the parachute mechanic to extend the life of the maps.